Full deck fishing

[sjrwheeler]

Hello all,

I'm working on a little research, I'm looking for any methods to fish for a card from a free choice of any in a deck.

The method doesn't need to be good, effective, convincing or deceptive.

I've come up with a method to fish for a single card out of a possible choice of four, but without asking any questions or making any statements. I'm trying to apply it to a full deck but I'm struggling, so I'm looking for inspiration in established methods.

I am aware of a couple of methods already, one uses a progressive anagram. Which I really don't think will work for my method.
The other isn't strictly a full deck fish, and is a method by Ramon Roiboo in his book 'thinking the impossible'. This method won't work for my method either.

I'd appreciate any leads you could give me, any straight full deck fishing method should have lots of potential.

Thanks,

Sam

[Max Maven]

The method doesn't need to be good, effective, convincing or deceptive.

"You thought of the nine of clubs. If not, then tell me your card."

That's a solution that is not good, convincing or deceptive. And, per your conditions, it doesn't involve asking questions. It is effective, presuming the person provides the information rather than leaving the room.

You might want to adjust your parameters.

[sjrwheeler]

Hi Max,

Thanks for your response, obviously you are right, I guess I should have been clearer. I'd like to think most people would have understood what I meant.
For anyone who doesn't:
When I say that I don't mind if the method is good, convincing or effective, I was hoping for a method that could potentially be effective for someone, even if most people could see through it.

Now ideally I would like to find the most effective methods first, start there and work my way down until I find something that fits what I am doing.

Max: as someone more knowledgable than me in this field, perhaps you could suggest some more useful parameters for my post?
Also perhaps you know of some published methods, would you be willing to point me in the right direction?


Many thanks,

Sam

[Max Maven]

Orville Meyer's "Principle of the Majorities" in Magic in the Modern Manner, 1949.

[Dan LeFay]

"You thought of the nine of clubs. If not, then tell me your card."

I find it impossible to read this line without hearing your voice, Max. Well done and thank you for the LOL moment!

[Bob Farmer]

You said:

"I've come up with a method to fish for a single card out of a possible choice of four, but without asking any questions or making any statements."

Without explaining what your method is, it's impossible to offer any advice. Unless you really are reading minds, you have to get a response from the spectator -- that response can be verbal or non-verbal, but you still have to prompt him to respond.

With four cards and a binary sort you would need two responses. You could get a maximum of two negatives.

With a majority sort, you would have to get a maximum of 3 responses, a minimum of 1 response, but you would only get a maximum of 1 negative.

Hope that helps.

[Ted M]

See also "Simon-Eyes", Simon Aronson's treatise on "no-no's fishing", included in his book The Aronson Approach.

[Atlas]

Out on a limb by Mick Ayres is also a possibility.